The IFFHS World's Best Top Goal Scorer is a football award given annually since 2020, and retroactively for the years 2011 to 2019, to the world's top goalscorer in the calendar year. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
All international goals and all competitive goals for clubs playing in their country's top level division scored from 1 January to 31 December are taken into consideration.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most wins (5) while Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals in a calendar year (91 in 2012). Robert Lewandowski won the award with the fewest goals (47 in 2020).
Ronaldo (5), Messi (2), Lewandowski (2) and Kylian Mbappé (2) are the only players who have won the award more than once.
Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Al Nassr) and Mbappė (PSG and Real Madrid) are the only players to win the award with multiple clubs.
Meanwhile, Al Nassr (Abderrazak Hamdallah in 2019 and Ronaldo in 2023) & Real Madrid (Ronaldo in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and Mbappė in 2025) are the only clubs with multiple winners.
In 2021, the IFFHS awarded the World's Best Goal Scorer of the first and second decade of the 21st century, considering the years 2001 to 2010 and 2011 to 2020.
Men's winners
List of winners YearRankPlayerClub(s)Goals20111st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid602nd Lionel Messi FC Barcelona593rd Aleksandrs Čekulajevs Narva Trans5620121st Lionel Messi Barcelona912nd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid633rd Neymar Santos5520131st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid692nd Ali Ashfaq New Radiant583rd Zlatan Ibrahimović Paris Saint-Germain4720141st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid612nd Lionel Messi Barcelona583rd Jonathan Soriano Red Bull Salzburg5520151st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid572nd Lionel Messi Barcelona523rd Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich4920161st Lionel Messi Barcelona582nd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid553rd Luis Suárez Barcelona5120171st Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur562nd Lionel Messi Barcelona543rd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid5320181st Baghdad Bounedjah Al-Sadd582nd Lionel Messi Barcelona513rd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid Juventus4920191st Abderrazak Hamdallah Al Nassr572nd Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich543rd Lionel Messi Barcelona5020201st Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich472nd Cristiano Ronaldo Juventus443rd Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan4020211st Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich692nd Kylian Mbappé Paris Saint-Germain513rd Erling Haaland Borussia Dortmund4920221st Kylian Mbappé Paris Saint-Germain562nd Erling Haaland Manchester City463rd Bergson Johor Darul Ta'zim4620231st Cristiano Ronaldo Al Nassr542nd Kylian Mbappé Paris Saint-Germain523rd Harry Kane Bayern Munich5220241st Viktor Gyökeres Sporting CP622nd Erling Haaland Manchester City493rd Harry Kane Bayern Munich4620251st Kylian Mbappé Real Madrid662nd Harry Kane Bayern Munich603rd Erling Haaland Manchester City57
Statistics
+Winners (2011–present)PlayerWinsYears Cristiano Ronaldo52011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023 Lionel Messi22012, 2016 Robert Lewandowski2020, 2021 Kylian Mbappé2022, 2025 Harry Kane12017 Baghdad Bounedjah2018 Abderrazak Hamdallah2019 Viktor Gyökeres2024
+Most goals in a yearRankPlayerYearGoals1 Lionel Messi2012912 Cristiano Ronaldo201369 Robert Lewandowski20214 Kylian Mbappé2025665 Cristiano Ronaldo2012636 Viktor Gyökeres2024627 Cristiano Ronaldo2014618 Cristiano Ronaldo201160 Harry Kane2025
+Wins by clubClubTotalPlayers Real Madrid52 Al Nassr22 Barcelona21 Bayern Munich21 Al Sadd11111111
+Wins by nationalityNationalityTotalPlayers5121212111111111
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the First Decade (2001–2010) The final list includes the 32 players who scored 200 or more goals in top-tier national leagues, national cups, continental and international competitions with both club and national teams in the period of time from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010.
The results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 25 September 2022. +Players with at least 250 goalsRankPlayerNationClub(s)Goals for countryGoals for club(s)Total goals1Aleksandar Đurić Geylang United Singapore Armed Forces Tampines Rovers163113272Washington Ponte Preta Fenerbahçe Athletico Paranaense Tokyo Verdy Urawa Red Diamonds Fluminense São Paulo22812833Thierry Henry Arsenal Barcelona New York Red Bulls432382814Ruud van Nistelrooy PSV Eindhoven Manchester United Real Madrid Hamburger SV332422755Samuel Eto'o Mallorca Barcelona Inter Milan442272716Marc Lloyd Williams Bangor City Southport Aberystwyth Town Total Network Solution Rhyl Newtown Porthmadog Airbus UK Broughton0271271
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the Second Decade (2011–2020)
The final list includes the 41 players who scored 200 or more goals in top-tier national leagues, national cups, continental and international competitions with both club and national teams in the period of time from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020.
The results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 4 January 2021. +Players with at least 250 goalsRankPlayerNationClub(s)Goals for countryGoals for club(s)Total goals1Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid Juventus774735502Lionel Messi Barcelona564935493Robert Lewandowski Borussia Dortmund Bayern Munich543634174Zlatan Ibrahimović Milan Paris Saint-Germain Manchester United LA Galaxy373033405Luis Suárez Liverpool Barcelona Atlético Madrid472883356Edinson Cavani Napoli Paris Saint-Germain Manchester United432913347Neymar Santos Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain632643278Sergio Agüero Atlético Madrid Manchester City322703029Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Saint-Étienne Borussia Dortmund Arsenal2125727810Sebastián Tagliabúe Ettifaq Al-Shabab Al-Wahda Al-Nasr126426511Eran Zahavi Hapoel Tel Aviv Palermo Maccabi Tel Aviv Guangzhou R&F PSV Eindhoven2424026412Karim Benzema Real Madrid1624325913Romelu Lukaku Anderlecht West Bromwich Albion Everton Manchester United Inter Milan5520325814Omar Al Somah Al Futowa Al Qadsia Al Ahli1524025515Ali Mabkhout Al-Jazira65185250
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the Third Decade (2021–2030) The provisional results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 4 February 2026. +Players with at least 200 goalsRankPlayerNationClub(s)Goals for countryGoals for club(s)Total goals1Kylian Mbappé Paris Saint-Germain Real Madrid392252642Erling Haaland Borussia Dortmund Manchester City492022513Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur Bayern Munich461912374Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich Barcelona251872125Cristiano Ronaldo Juventus Manchester United Al Nassr41160201
All-time World's Best Goal Scorer ranking
Bold indicates players currently active. * indicates player has scored at least 500 goals for a single club. +Players with at least 500 goalsRankPlayerTotalYears1 Cristiano Ronaldo556561681359602002–present2 Lionel Messi*517711491128492004–present3 Pelé*6044926837621957–19774 Romário5459354647561985–20075 Ferenc Puskás5166956847251943–19666 Josef Bican*51513738327221931–19557 40057107846482008–present8 Jimmy Jones*3302861496481947–19649 *4059269686341964–198110 *3472535216261926–194311 Abe Lenstra573180336241936–196312 4094857695832005–present13 Eusébio3819759415781960–197814 313241905631987–201115 3944857625611999–202316 4136813595531906–192817 *464723145531937–194918 *4474121435521954–197819 *4071310125501923–193720 3785476295371945–196621 György Sárosi35035103425301931–194822 476105225131971–199223 3904938305071976–199724 2979387265031930–194925 Zico4102716485011971–1994
Women's winners
List of winners YearRankPlayerClub(s)Goals20211st Jennifer Hermoso Barcelona482nd Lea Schüller Bayern Munich473rd Alexia Putellas Barcelona4320221st Fenna Kalma Twente452nd Sam Kerr Chelsea383rd Tessa Wullaert Anderlecht Fortuna Sittard3820231st Temwa Chawinga Wuhan Jiangda632nd Charlyn Corral Pachuca393rd Kiana Palacios América3820241st Charlyn Corral Pachuca442nd Caroline Graham Hansen Barcelona363rd Ewa Pajor Wolfsburg Barcelona3520251st Charlyn Corral Pachuca572nd Ewa Pajor Barcelona453rd Katie Wilkinson Rangers42
Statistics +Winners (2021–present)PlayerWinsYears Charlyn Corral22024, 2025 Jennifer Hermoso12021 Fenna Kalma12022 Temwa Chawinga12023
+Most goals in a yearRankPlayerYearGoals1 Temwa Chawinga2023632 Charlyn Corral2025573 Jennifer Hermoso2021484 Lea Schüller2021475 Fenna Kalma202245 Ewa Pajor20257 Charlyn Corral2024448 Alexia Putellas2021439 Katie Wilkinson20254210 Charlyn Corral20233911 Sam Kerr202238 Tessa Wullaert2022
+Wins by clubClubTotalPlayers Pachuca21 Barcelona11 Twente11 Wuhan Jiangda11
+Wins by nationalityNationalityTotalPlayers21111111
See also International Federation of Football History & Statistics IFFHS World's Best Club IFFHS World's Best Player IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer IFFHS World Team IFFHS World's Best Club Coach IFFHS World's Best National Coach
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